Chapter 9
The sky had grown dark.
Shawn walked into the police station and saw Kathleen sitting in a chair. Her hair was neatly tied up.
Although she looked exhausted, she remained upright.
Sitting there alone, she looked like a stray cat that had been abandoned, with nowhere to go.
When Kathleen saw someone coming, her dull eyes brightened for a moment. However, when she saw who it was, she was a little surprised.
She had called Colin and asked him to come. If Chelsey hadn’t been out of town, she wouldn’t have bothered Colin.
What she didn’t expect was for Shawn to show up instead.
His presence made her feel a little uneasy. They hadn’t known each other long, and he’d already seen her in more than a few embarrassing moments. It was hard not to feel awkward.
Shawn went inside to handle the paperwork. When he came back out, he looked at her and said, “Let’s go.”
His voice was cold and emotionless, just like their relationship.
Kathleen stood up and followed him, holding the coat he had given her. The bag had torn during the fight.
They had just stepped outside and were about to get in the car when Ryan came running out after them.
“Hey! You’re Kathleen’s lover now?”
Kathleen frowned deeply and was mortified.
Shawn turned, his gaze icy as he looked at Ryan.
Her head throbbed. Ryan was like a rabid dog—relentless and completely out of control.
“Can I help you?” Shawn’s tone was indifferent.
Ryan didn’t know who Shawn was. However, from the way Shawn carried himself and how he dressed, it was obvious he wasn’t just some ordinary guy.
“Seriously, Kathleen? This is the best you could do? Out of all the men in the world, you pick this pretty boy who looks like a damn woman?” Ryan sneered.
Shawn had good looks and fair skin—handsome enough to be called pretty.
“Do you want another beating?” Kathleen was absolutely furious with Ryan.
Ryan chuckled coldly and looked Shawn up and down, blatantly disrespectful. “You actually married this guy? What were you thinking? Does he do well in bed?”
The vulgarity was sickening. She raised her hand, ready to slap him.
Shawn caught her wrist, his gaze calm and unreadable. “Let’s go home.”
Kathleen found it hard to believe that he wasn’t angry at all. Even she couldn’t hold back the anger.
“Kathleen, look at the coward you ended up with!” Seeing Shawn keep his cool, Ryan grew even more arrogant and let his mouth run wild. “Sure, he’s got a nice face, but he’s useless. Did you marry him just because he looks good in pictures?”
Kathleen was about to snap back when Shawn pushed her into the passenger seat and shut the door.
His eyes were cold as he said, “Arguing is useless.”
Kathleen gritted her teeth, but under his stare, she swallowed the insult she was ready to throw.
Shawn shut the door.
Ryan, still getting no response, grew even more agitated. “Coward! You’ve got less backbone than your woman!”
Shawn walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door. Glancing at Ryan over the car’s roof, he spoke indifferently with an icy gaze. “You talk more than a woman.”
By the time Ryan realized what he’d said, Shawn was already driving off.
In the rearview mirror, Kathleen saw Ryan standing there, kicking a tree in frustration.
…
The night deepened. The city was alive with lights, busy and noisy. However, it was silent and stifling inside the car.
Kathleen wanted to say something, but the moment she glanced at Shawn’s emotionless face, the words caught in her throat.
He wasn’t talking. She didn’t dare speak either, afraid she’d annoy him. After all, she was the one who dragged him into this mess.
While waiting at a traffic light, Shawn made a call. “Handle it.”
That was all he said. Kathleen assumed it was about work.
…
When the car stopped outside her apartment complex, she unbuckled her seatbelt and glanced at the coat in her arms. “I’ll return this later.”
She’d been carrying it around all afternoon. Now, it needed another wash.
Shawn finally turned to look at her. “Your taste in men is terrible.”
Kathleen couldn’t argue with that since it was true. “Sorry for the trouble,” she said eventually.
He shot her a sideways glance. Now, without any pretense, she looked genuine. “As long as you know,” he replied, then looked away.
Kathleen got out without another word.
The car sped off as soon as the door closed.
She stood there holding his coat, completely drained. All she could feel now was exhaustion.
…
In the middle of the night, a call woke Kathleen up.
It was Chelsey, her voice excited. “You have to check the group chat. Right now. Hurry!”
Kathleen forced her eyes open and tapped into the group. There were over a thousand messages.
When she clicked into it, people asked questions like, “Who did that?” and “Who is so ruthless?”.
She scrolled up for ages before finding a video. In the clip, Ryan was being pinned down and beaten in an abandoned warehouse. He couldn’t even fight back and only screamed in pain.
Kathleen frowned at the sight of his bruised, swollen face.
The chat was blowing up.
“Look at that angle. It’s clearly recorded by the person doing the beating.”
“Who did he piss off to end up like that?”
“Who knows? It was only a matter of time. He’s made plenty of enemies.”
Everyone was talking like Ryan wasn’t going to see this later. No one was scared at all.
Chelsey called again. “Any idea who did it?”
Kathleen paused for a moment. “No.”
“The guy who posted it already left the group. No real name, so there was no way to trace them. Honestly, though, he deserved it. That scum had it coming.”
Kathleen suddenly thought of what Shawn had said earlier.
Maybe when he said “handle it”, he hadn’t been talking about work at all.
She rewatched the video. Ryan, who was usually so cocky, was now reduced to begging.
Whoever beat Ryan had been merciless. He had avoided vital spots but left no room for retaliation. The beating was meant to humiliate and torture him.
Kathleen couldn’t fall asleep for the rest of the night.
That video kept replaying in her mind. And somehow, she kept imagining the man behind the camera was Shawn.
…
At dawn, she finally gave Shawn a call.
When he picked up, his voice was as cool as ever. “What is it?”
She swallowed hard. “Did you have Ryan beaten up?”
She held her breath after asking.
“Yes.”
Kathleen’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected him to admit it so easily.
“Do you still care about him?” Shawn asked.
She immediately denied, “No, I was just asking.”
“And?”
Kathleen bit her lip, not knowing what came next. She had only wanted to confirm. “Did you handle it properly? Could it be traced back to you since the video is out?”
She was worried about him.
This whole thing had started because of her. She didn’t want him getting in trouble.
“It has nothing to do with you,” Shawn replied flatly. “I didn’t beat him up because of you.”
Kathleen went quiet.
He hung up the call. Looking at the blackened screen, she was unsure what she was feeling.
…
Around noon, Judy called and invited her to lunch.
Judy might have seemed kind, but her tone carried a subtle pressure that left no room for refusal. She greeted Kathleen with a warm smile the moment she saw her, looking genuinely pleased.
Judy asked Kathleen to order whatever she liked and casually inquired if she had recovered from her cold.
It had been days since Kathleen fell ill, and this was the first time she brought it up. She was clearly just making small talk.
As always, Kathleen remained polite and obedient in front of her, answering every question dutifully.
“Kat, you should just move in with Shawn,” Judy finally said.
